The Challenge:
A rider with scoliosis visited specialist sports orthopaedics centre, Orthosport in Aachen Germany, with two persistent problems:
1. Back pain following long periods in sitting trot
2. Noticeable asymmetry when riding
Her horses were always moving better on the left than the right rein. Was this a riding habit or an underlying physical problem - and was it causing her horses to move like this?
Accurately Measuring a Rider in Motion
Othosport Eschweiler are unique, in that they combine a dynamic DIERS 3D/4D spine measuring machine with a Racewood Dressage Simulator. This combination of technology allows them to accurately measure and assess spinal movements WHILST the rider is in movement, more specifically, moving through the different gaits.
They first carried out an orthopaedic examination, supported by diagnostic imagery, followed by functional measurements on the Dressage Simulator or the treadmill. They also used EMG to examine muscular activation too.
The Results
What they found was that during riding, the rider's hip drop to the left was significantly more pronounced than on the right. The EMG also showed different activation patterns in the muscles in the back (the ones responsible for stabilising). This put a picture together of how the rider's scoliosis, pelvic movement and muscle activation interacted in the saddle.
Turning Data into Treatment
The point of the consultation is not just to identify asymmetries, but to come up with a constructive plan to improve the rider's seat. An individual training program was developed, including;
The simulator then enables riders to work on specific changes, without the worry of the reactions of a live horse.
Professional AND leisure riders can be assessed, and riders may bring their own saddle so that its influence can also be considered during the evaluation.
The result is not a generic set of exercises, but an individual programme based on the rider's own movement patterns. By combining orthopaedic assessment with functional diagnostics, EMG and dynamic 3D/4D measurement during simulated riding, we can investigate how the rider's body actually behaves in the saddle and then devise the plan forward.
Find out more about Orthosport here.
A rider with scoliosis visited specialist sports orthopaedics centre, Orthosport in Aachen Germany, with two persistent problems:
1. Back pain following long periods in sitting trot
2. Noticeable asymmetry when riding
Her horses were always moving better on the left than the right rein. Was this a riding habit or an underlying physical problem - and was it causing her horses to move like this?
Accurately Measuring a Rider in Motion
Othosport Eschweiler are unique, in that they combine a dynamic DIERS 3D/4D spine measuring machine with a Racewood Dressage Simulator. This combination of technology allows them to accurately measure and assess spinal movements WHILST the rider is in movement, more specifically, moving through the different gaits.
They first carried out an orthopaedic examination, supported by diagnostic imagery, followed by functional measurements on the Dressage Simulator or the treadmill. They also used EMG to examine muscular activation too.
The Results
What they found was that during riding, the rider's hip drop to the left was significantly more pronounced than on the right. The EMG also showed different activation patterns in the muscles in the back (the ones responsible for stabilising). This put a picture together of how the rider's scoliosis, pelvic movement and muscle activation interacted in the saddle.
Turning Data into Treatment
The point of the consultation is not just to identify asymmetries, but to come up with a constructive plan to improve the rider's seat. An individual training program was developed, including;
- Chiropractic therapy
- Functional physiotherapy
- Exercises to address the muscular imbalance
- Targeted work for a more balance seat position
The simulator then enables riders to work on specific changes, without the worry of the reactions of a live horse.
Professional AND leisure riders can be assessed, and riders may bring their own saddle so that its influence can also be considered during the evaluation.
The result is not a generic set of exercises, but an individual programme based on the rider's own movement patterns. By combining orthopaedic assessment with functional diagnostics, EMG and dynamic 3D/4D measurement during simulated riding, we can investigate how the rider's body actually behaves in the saddle and then devise the plan forward.
Find out more about Orthosport here.